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23 March 2020, 17:08 | Updated: 18 August 2022, 15:51
Now that we’re all in isolation we’re in need of modern technology to stay in touch more now than ever – here are the apps you can use for group video calls.
From Zoom to Houseparty, there are a number of group video call apps you can download to stay in touch with your loved ones as the coronavirus pandemic continues to keep us in quarantine.
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Whether you need your entire friendship group on the call, or just a few of your best mates, there are so many apps to choose from.
Here’s a breakdown of the most popular video call apps…
Houseparty differs from the likes of Skype and FaceTime in that you can also play games with your friends during the call.
Once you’ve downloaded the app, invite your friends through social media or link your contacts to connect your mates.
You’ll then be able to see who is online or ‘in the house’.
Typically used for work conferences, Zoom has become a virtual hangout for people hosting games, quizzes, and even yoga classes.
To use zoom with friends, download the app, make an account, select ‘start with video’ and then click ‘new meeting’ to invite all your friends.
To use group FaceTime video calls, open FaceTime and tap the plus in the top right hand corner, enter the name of your contacts, or their phone numbers or email addresses.
To start the call, click ‘audio’ or ‘video’.
Few people realise you can make a group video call over WhatsApp, and it’s really very simple to use.
Once you’ve started a one-to-one video call with one contact, you can add more by clicking ‘add participant’ at the top right hand corner of your screen.
The downside is you can only involve up to four people at the same time.
Skype was one of the first few video calling techniques to become a household application and still remains a popular choice of video chat.
With Skype you can add up to 50 people into the video call.
To start a group video call, select the ‘new chat’ plus button and click ‘new group chat’ from the options list, enter a name for your group, select the camera icon to upload a photo for your group, and select the right arrow to create your group.
You can then start adding your contacts from a selected list or by using the search bar.
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